Dawn of a New Age
by The Best of Luck
Summary: Earth has been united by a combination of the Sole Survivor, the Lone Wanderer, and the Courier. As the United Earth Government, the Dominion of New Vegas, and the Enclave of Luna expand their horizons, they come into conflict with the Citadel Alliance. Times are changing and it is the dawn of a new age for the galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

September 2nd, 1945: Japan officially surrendered to the Allies. V-J Day is celebrated all across the world.

July 16th, 1969: The Virgo II Lunar Lander Valiant 11 with U.S.S.A. astronauts Captain Richard Wade, Captain Mark Garris, and Captain Michael Hagen lands on the Moon. The astronauts become the first humans to walk on a celestial body other than Earth.

January 12th, 2002: The West Tek Research Facility is founded.

October 23rd, 2032: The plans for building a spaceship that could reach Mars are started. The group known as the Enclave is formed.

March 3rd, 2042: Robert House founds RobCo Industries.

August 1st, 2044: The X277 "Viper" magnetic rail cannon developed for the U.S. Military by West Tek is deemed too costly to produce on a mass scale and abandoned. The Enclave later confiscated the weapon from the Museum of Technology and starts to study it.

September 30th, 2050: The mission of Sierra Army Depot is changed again. It is refurbished with the latest in technology and is from now on used as a secret research installation for developing and testing robotic, biological and conventional weapons until 2076.

April 21st, 2051: Seeking to protect business interests and their oil supply, the United States begins to exert increasing pressure on Mexico, citing the political instability and pollution stemming from Mexico as a threat to the United States. Various economic sanctions serve to destabilize Mexico, and the United States military enters Mexico to keep the oil refineries running and making sure oil and fuel continue to make their way north across the border at Mexico's expense.

October 21st, 2052: The last known manned mission to the Moon is launched. Unbeknownst to the general public or NASA, the Enclave sets up their Moon base.

May 1st-July 31st, 2052: A series of heated debates take part in the United Nations headquarters. With the European Commonwealth at war in the Middle East and the United States increasing its presence in the Pacific, the UN collapses when the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union walk out and resign from the UN Security Council. The rest of the Security withdraws from the UN as well, disbanding it.

January 2053: Limited nuclear exchange in the Middle East raises fears throughout the world.[17]

January 23rd, 2053: In light of the European-Middle Eastern War and the plague scare, the United States officially sets Project Safehouse in motion. The project, financed by junk bonds, is designed to create shelters, called Vaults, for the populace in the event of a nuclear war or deadly plague. Construction begins late in 2054 and proceeds rapidly due to advances in construction technology.

May 2059: The Anchorage Front Line is established, as the United States increases its military presence in Alaska to protect its oil interests. The Anchorage Front Line causes tensions between the United States and Canada, as the United States attempts to pressure Canada into allowing American military units to guard the Alaskan pipeline.

July 2059: The first artificial intelligence is created, but it is limited by memory constraints. This leads to a breakthrough in AI technology and research. The Enclave takes a notice in it and steals the first AI, sending it to their Moon base.

2060: Traffic on the streets of the world stops moving. Fuel becomes too precious to waste on automobiles, so alternatives are explored - electric and fusion cars begin to be manufactured, but factories can only make limited amounts while conserving fuel. The U.S. economy teeters on bankruptcy. Pressure on fusion research European-Middle Eastern War ends as the oil fields in the Middle East run dry. There is no longer a goal in the conflict, and both sides are reduced almost to European Commonwealth dissolves into quarreling nation states, fighting over the remaining resources.

August 2065: Increasing need for mobility in the United States mechanized cavalry leads the military to focus the efforts on creating a man-based tank - essentially, a two-legged walking armored unit: power armor. Research grows until 2067 and several prototypes are developed, many of which prove to be unworkable in the field. These prototypes pave the way for future advances in military, construction, and fusion technology.

June 2066: Adding further insult to the Sino-American relations, the first crude fusion cell is unveiled, one of the results of the power armor project. Devices designed for the fusion cell begin to be manufactured. Incorporating fusion power into the general U.S. infrastructure begins, but the process is too slow to supply power to the regions that need it. Nearly eleven years later, few sections of the United States were supplied with fusion power.

December 2nd, 2066: The Sino-American War kicks off when Chinese troops make a surprise landing in Anchorage, beating back the U.S forces towards Juneau. For nearly ten years, it would be stalemated between the two superpowers.

February 22nd, 2067: The first suit of T-45d power armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this power armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordnance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States.

2070: The first of the Chryslus Motors fusion-driven cars are developed. Reassuringly big and American, the limited models carry a hefty price tag but are sold out within days. Many Chryslus plants have long since been converted into making military ordnance.

September 15th, 2073: As China becomes increasingly aggressive with their use of biological weapons, the United States government felt that a countermeasure was needed. The Pan-Immunity Virion Project is officially formed and plans are made to begin experiments at the West Tek Research Facility in Southern California.

February 2nd, 2075:The Sierra Army Depot A.I., Skynet, becomes self-aware.

March 3rd, 2075: RobCo Industries copyrights the Unified Operating System. This system is used for operating the Robco terminals. The copyright is renewed for each of the next two years.

March 21, 2075: PVP experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, in the wake of successful tests of the virus on single-celled organisms. Experiments on plant cells are postponed. The pan-immunity virion is renamed Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV).

May 9, 2075: FEV experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, in the wake of successful tests on flatworms; the flatworms exhibit increase size and heightened resistance to viral contagions. Experiments with insects have less success, and further experimentation on insects is postponed by Major Barnett.

May, 2075: Vault 112 seals two years early, for Stanislaus Braun's sadistic desires.

June 30, 2075: FEV experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, with white mice as subjects. Increased size, muscle density, and Intelligence are noted.

November 9, 2075: FEV experimentation (batch 10-011) on rabbits is concluded. Increased size, Intelligence, and (this time) aggressiveness is noted. Apparently, it was hard to determine whether the flatworms in the previous experiments were angrier and more violent than normal. Frankly, the researchers cannot be blamed for this.

October 1st, 2076: The Enclave finish the construction of their spacecraft. However, their plans shift after the death of Enclave scientist Dr. Richard Stokes, to instead reconquer the wastelands after the nuclear war. In response, the Enclave shifts much of its military power to the Poseidon Oil Rig. The Pacific Fleet is also recalled to Honolulu, before being transferred to San Francisco. Along the way, they engage a Chinese Relief fleet on its way to Anchorage, destroying it and and any chance of Chinese victory in Alaska.

January 31st, 2077: Alaska is reclaimed.

March 23rd, 2077: The President of the United States and all Enclave citizens and benefactors are moved to Vault 0 before heading to Poseidon Oil Rig in August of 2077.

October 23rd, 2077: The Great War breaks out. The Enclave, having been moved to the Poseidon Oil Rig, watch as nuclear warfare destroys much of the world in less than two hours. The Pacific Fleet is crippled by the EMP. Only a few ships survive, two nuclear submarines, a missile frigate, and two patrol boats.

October 31st, 2084: The Enclave lose contact with their Moon base, which unknown to the rest of the world, has been terraformed by the Enclave personnel stationed on there. This is used using several Garden of Eden Creation Kits.

August 24th, 2087: The Enclave Armed Forces start to explore the wasteland, showing lessening effects of the fallout and noting the mutations in the wildlife and regular humans. The Enclave quickly captures fourteen different humans and takes them back to the Oil Rig.

September 3rd, 2088: The fourteen humans that were abducted are declared clean of mutations after a year of highly experimental anti-radiation and mutagenic drugs. The Enclave then switches its mission directives again. Instead of wiping out the wasteland like it originally was supposed to do, it intends to wipe out all mutants.

August 2091: The Enclave send the all-clear signal to Vault 8, which uses its G.E.C.K to restore a significant part of the wasteland. Vault City is then established.

2161: The journey of the Vault Dweller starts. He destroys the Mutant known as the Master and becomes a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. After this, he finds the settlement of Arroyo. The Enclave keeps a close monitor on him via eyebot and satellite.

2231: There is a civil war between factions in the Enclave. The Old Guard of the Enclave wants to take over the entire wasteland and purify it, deeming everything there mutants. The Patriot Guard wants to unify the wasteland under its banner. The Patriot Guard is defeated and flees to Alaska where it reestablishes control over Anchorage with the nuclear submarine USS _San Diego_ as its main base of operations.

2242: The Enclave, after nearly two hundred years of waiting, become known to the wasteland. Using Vertibirds and upgraded power armor, they manage to establish Navarro and several other outposts in California. They later abduct the population of Vault 13 and Arroyo, leading to their destruction at the hands of the Chosen One. The remnants of the Enclave flee East towards Raven Rock, where their next president is located. New Arroyo becomes a flourishing city after the Chosen One finds a G.E.C.K.

2258: The Lone Wanderer is born in the Capital Wasteland. His mother dies from complications in the birth and his father gets access to Vault 101.

2277: James disappears from Vault 101 and his son heads to the surface to search for him. Megaton's atomic bomb is disarmed by the Lone Wanderer. A slave uprising in the Pitt is put down by the Lone Wanderer. He later finds his father in Vault 112, shutting it down. His father is killed by Colonel Autumn and the Lone Wanderer is soon captured by Enclave forces. However, he later destroys Raven Rock and the ZAX Computer that is The Lone Wanderer activates Project Purity, declining the Enclave's request to sabotage the purifier, and the Capital Wasteland was changed forever. After the activation of the purifier and the death of the Colonel Autumn, the Patriot Guard of the Enclave arrives in the Capital Wasteland, after taking control of the Enclave outposts in the rest of the continental United States. Major Samantha Adams, one of the youngest officers in Enclave history at the age of twenty-two, brokers a ceasefire between the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel.

2278: The Lone Wanderer is abducted by aliens. He later manages to take over the ship, only for the aliens to reboard it and take control. However, the aliens on board, recognizing the threat that the Lone Wanderer is, agree to head back to their homeworld and never bother Earth again. The Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel merge into what is known as the Capitol Republic.

2279: The Capitol Republic begins to expand, composing of all settlements in the Capital Wasteland.

2280: The Capitol Republic starts to expand north, eventually annexing the Pitt.

2281: The events of the Courier. Shot in the head twice, the Courier begins by killing Benny, before siding with Mr. House. The Battle of Hoover Dam leaves the NCR crippled, Caesar's Legion destroyed, and the Dominion of New Vegas under the control of Mr. House. His trusted lieutenant destroys the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel.

2287: Mr. House and his space program begin. The Courier starts on a long journey west to wipe out the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel. The _Prydwen_ under the command of Arthur Maxson arrives in the Boston Commonwealth while the Capitol Republic launches several attacks on raider confederations. The Sole Survivor, the commander of the Commonwealth Minutemen, destroys the Institute and agrees to an alliance with the Capitol Republic.

2293: The Lone Wanderer and Colonel Samantha Adams have their first child. The name of the Lone Wanderer is then revealed to be Alan Shepard. The C.R continues to expand, taking New York after a grueling five year campaign against raiders. The Minutemen distinguish themselves in this war.

2295: The Capitol Republic and the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel meet. The Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel, after most of their leaders and mutants being killed by the Courier, is absorbed into the C.R. The Lone Wanderer and the Courier meet. They fight for hours, but are unable to get an upperhand on each other. The two retreat, promising to settle it one day.

2296: A brief war between the Dominion of New Vegas and the Capitol Republic starts. The Lone Wanderer ends it by bringing the Hermes-Bradley Orbital Weapon System over New Vegas and threatening to unleash the nuclear payload unless House negotiates. The Courier, only having ARCHIMEDES II in his pocket, is unable to respond with equal force. Mr. House and the Lone Wanderer later sign a peace treaty. The Dominion of New Vegas would be absorbed into the Capitol Republic, but with a large degree of autonomy. Not wanting to risk a war without the death of thousands, the C.R agrees. Mr. House later sends the Ghouls of Repconn into space, leading to the first successful space mission in nearly two hundred and fifty years.

2310: The C.R and the N.C.R merge after the New California Republic is invaded by the Fifth Mexican Empire. The C.R now composes of all regions of the former Continental United States. They later invade Mexico. The C.R is now renamed the New United States of America.

2315: Mexico is conquered. Mr. House, after nearly nineteen years of finding or manufacturing spare parts and other space equipment, sends a manned expedition to the moon. That is where the Enclave that survived for nearly three hundred years are found. The Moon has a thriving population of over one hundred and twenty-two thousand occupants. The Ghouls of Repconn are shot on sight. Mr. House comes into contact with the Enclave remnants on the Moon.

2316: The N.U.S.A and the Enclave on the moon reach an agreement. The Enclave are absorbed in exchange for autonomy like Vegas. The N.U.S.A agrees on the basis that they let them use the Moon as a base for future manned space flights into the solar system.

2346: The N.U. population reaches over sixty million, most of them in the Core Region. The New United States later make contact with the Japanese Empire, sparking a war between these two factions.

2348: Following a devastating attack on Shady Sands by the Japanese Empire, the Lone Wanderer, as his last act of head of the N.U.S.A, launches the last missiles of the Hermes-Bradley, destroying Tokyo and forcing the Japanese Empire to surrender. With it, the vast empire falls into American hands. The eastern coast of China, most of the Pacific, and the Aleutians are now in the hands of the Americans.

2421: The N.U.S.A is then reorganized into the United Earth Government. With the fall of Russia and Europe to N.U.S.A forces, the Earth is finally reunited. The UEG's colony on the Moon flourishes along with the colony on Mars, all terraformed by G.E. .

2448: The mass effect technology are found in the Prothean Ruins on Mars after farmers blast an area for some unknown reason. This leads to a dramatic outbreak of ship technology and ship weaponry. The Charon Relay is uniced. The first colonies in what is known as the Frontier are established.

2500: The population of humanity reaches over five billion, as a rapid expansion of colonies are continuing.

2550: At the census, the population of humanity is revealed to be over seven billion, with six billion in the Sol System and the rest spread over twenty-six other colonies.

2557: Two science research vessels find a new Mass Relay near the colony of New Washington, a UEG colony.

CODEX UPDATE!

The Unified Earth Government: The UEG is the governing body of Earth and her colonies. Only two regions are known to offset this; the Dominion of New Vegas and her two colonies, and the Enclave on the Moon. They are a bicameral federal republic, with a President as head. Every colony sends a representative to the Moon, where New Luna, the capital of the UEG, is located. The armed wing of the UEG is the United Earth Military.

The Dominion of New Vegas: With the mysterious Mr. House as Executor, the D.N.V has two colonies and the Mojave. The D.N.V has its own security forces, such as the New Vegas Army and the Securitrons, that can be taken control by the United Earth Government in times of war. They even have their own navy in space, known as the Colonial Vegas Navy. The CVN however is small and with only a few warships; they mostly rely on the UEM.

The Enclave of Luna: Following the destruction of the world, the Enclave of Luna terraformed the Moon. With that in mind, they exercise a great deal of autonomy within the UEG, though they are subject to the same rules in times of war. New Luna, the capital of the UEG, is located in their territory. They are known to be the research base for the UEG.


	2. First Meetings

Dr. Maria Li was extremely excited. The UEG science vessel _Dawn_ was going to be allowed to study the Prothean artifact known as a Relay. Despite the UEG House not wanting to let her scientists study the iconic non-working relay, they were overruled by the President, as technically, the _Dawn_ was a military vessel. Though some might say that was an example of unconstitutional behavior, the Doc was not liable to see it that way. She almost _skipped_ to the bridge, where the vessel's captain, Commander Richard Fox, was waiting for her.

As a descendant of Dr. Madison Li, one of the most famous scientists of the Lone Wanderer era, she was treated rather differently. She was offered access to the best schools, even the ones on Luna. She loved it, though she sometimes wished that she wasn't treated like a goddamned princess. However, she loved working for the UEG and studying Protheans. It gave her a sense of purpose and _adventure._

Since the Relay was not-working for some reason, even though they knew how to activate it, the UEG had commissioned her and her team to study it. Some naysayers say it was for a reason, including those Great Journey types who said that the Relays were given to them by God. Bunch of conspiracy theorists and religious nuts.

She was exuberant and couldn't wait. The Earth-born girl, with her messy black hair all in a bun, and her doe brown eyes shining, was soon right next to Commander Richard Fox.

Fox was a large man, intimidating and fierce. With his black hair cut short and his dress uniform pressed immaculately, he was the exact opposite of Maria. While Maria was free-spirited, Fox was a by the books man and would not hesitate to put Maria in her place. He stood almost a foot taller than Dr. Li and his eyes were always filled with either anger or annoyance.

"I would like to ask you one more time _Doctor,_ to not skip to the bridge. For God's sake you are nearly twenty!" Fox fumed and Maria looked around. The crew of the bridge were all used to her quirks and she merely blushed and grinned at Fox's orders.

"Of course Commander! Aye, aye sir!" she said simply, before raising her hand in a mock salute. Fox, aggravated most likely, just sighed.

"Now Doctor, I would like to know what progress we have made since arriving in the Theta System," Fox stated curtly.

"Well Commander, we managed to initiate the start of the activation process, but unfortunately, we are not able to finish it. My team has theorized that the mass effect fields generated by the Relay are not strong enough to activate itself or it might be that the dormant Relay might be a new kind that we simply do not know how to activate," Maria summarized. She might not be a serious person, but she was the best of the best when it came to her field of mass effect technology.

What Fox didn't know was that she also had a P.H.D in weapons systems and tactics. Fox didn't know a lot of things about Maria. She wanted to keep it that way.

" _What?_ Are you saying that this might be a new kind of Relay? We have been activating Relays for nearly a hundred years!" Fox said, unbelieving it. Maria just rolled her eyes.

"Well silly, we don't simply don't know! As far as we can tell, there are two types of Relays, secondary and primary. This one might just be a new one!" she said happily. The good commander sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

"Doctor, I'm going to send a message to HIGHCOM. I want all information that you have gathered on that message. New Luna needs to learn about this," Fox stated.

"You'll have it Fox! Aye, aye sir!" she said mockingly again, before giving another terrible salute. The commander returned it out of a sense of routine, even though Dr. Maria Li was a civilian scientist and not _officially_ a part of the military.

She walked away, heading down to the lab. She was super excited and couldn't wait. But she was curious about the Relay. They still weren't able to activate it. Why was that? It didn't look like any of the

Soon the lab was in sight, with two other scientists in white lab coats hunkering down over various vials filled with chemicals. They were Dr. Abe and Dr. Voldo, both able scientists that were currently studying the chemical makeup of element zero. Her team was in an adjacent room, two other scientists that were best at what they did.

Doctor Alfonso Lopez was a scruffy old man of thirty-six. With a belly full of food and his lungs filled with laughter, he was among the smartest people in all of the UEG. His dark brown hair was uncombed and wild like an East Asian jungle, while his beady green eyes danced from side to side. He, however, was business like when it came to science and relays. He had taught biology at the Capitol University back on Earth before being chosen to study this relay.

Her other partner was Doctor Alicia Fernandez. She was only a few years older than Maria, around twenty-five. She was skinny, lithe, and graceful, with beautiful blonde hair that flowed to her shoulders. Many a times she had graced her presence amongst men. With skinny toned legs and ocean blue eyes,(okay the Earth had green seas due to radiation, but hey, the simile stuck), she was the most beautiful of the three. But then again, Maria still looked like an overgrown teenager and Alfonso was a fat guy, it wasn't that hard to be that. She had just gotten her PHD in astrophysics, studying at the University of New Vegas.

"So, Maria, how was the short two and half minute meeting with the Commander?" asked Alfonso as he engulfed another chip. He was so precise with his work, in stark contrast with his attire. Maria wondered how he could balance the two.

"I just told him that we didn't know what the Relay was. It isn't that hard. How are you doing today fat daddy?" she asked. The nickname wasn't malicious and Alfonso actually promoted people calling him that. He laughed.

"Good. Alicia and I just went over some data we got from the start of initiation with the Relay. It appears that even if we send the activation signal, it refuses, as if some sort of entity is trying to avoid us. I'm looking into it…" and that was when the klaxons went off all through the ship.

" _Attention all crew, this your commander speaking. The Relay is active, I repeat, the Relay is activating. All hands prepare for faster than light travel. I repeat, all hands prepare for faster than light travel!"_ the PA system blared. Fox's voice was on blast and her mind went blank.

Maria looked on her screen that was connected to the outside cameras. In space, there is no sound due to vacuum. She saw the relay start to activate, thousands of particles of element zero reaching out to the ship.

Maria knew that whatever happened, it was probably on her team. Most likely her. She gulped, knowing the lecture that Commander Fox would give her. She absolutely abhorred lectures. She had been given several from Commander Fox. But that wasn't the important part. The important part was that _they were being trapped by a mass relay._

"Any idea what happened?" she asked Alfonso and Alicia. Alfonso was furiously typing away at his computer, the old hunk of junk that it was, while Alicia was scrolling through her Pip-boy 2000, attempting to find out what happened.

"As far as we know, there is a mix-up. Looks like the relay was getting commands from the other side of the relay...that is why the activation signal didn't work. So it looks like someone else was giving the command to activate...and not us."

Alfonso looked at Alicia like she was a crackpot. But he looked at his data and then looked at Alicia and then back at Alicia. He started to mumble nonsense.

"No...no, no, no. That can't be true! We cannot be going to the other side of the relay because of a simple mistake! No! No!" Alfonso said dramatically. As he was babbling, the door to the lab slid open and stepped in a black armored figure.

The armor was bulky and angular, with tesla coils extending from the back, crackling with green and yellow energy. In the figure's hands was a massive weapon, a three pronged instrument that would kill any living creature by essentially turning them into a green pile of goo. Devil like horns extended from his helmet, while devilish yellow eyes bore down on her. She knew the history behind the armor. She also knew who wore it.

The Advanced Power Armor Mark 6 was an all new armor, able for the user to go into any environment, regardless of heat, poison, or radiation. It was composed of lightweight metal alloys, reinforced with ceramic castings at key stress.

The ability to survive hostile climate or worlds was tantamount for expeditionary forces, meaning that the members of the armed forces who got it were usually the heavy troopers of the expeditionary forces that were the local garrison on the exploration ships. The tesla coils was used to disperse energy weapons very effectively and it was vacuumed proof, allowing for a user to survive up to three hours in space. It also helped that the armor was _very_ effective in protecting against kinetic weaponry as well.

"Sergeant Autumn...what a pleasant surprise," she said carefully. She didn't like Sergeant Autumn in the slightest.

Arthur Augustus Autumn was one of the last remaining descendants of Colonel Augustus Autumn, a fact that was still bitter among the old guard of the Unified Earth Army. Many didn't want him to serve, being the first Autumn in generations to do so. The disgrace of Colonel Augustus Autumn was that strong, to be felt nearly three hundred years later.

"Mam, just checking on you. Standard operating procedure, you know the drill," the sergeant's said, his slight Virginian accent tinged with a bit of New York detected. Maria knew the history between their families.

Her ancestor Madison Li had nearly been killed by Colonel Autumn three hundred years ago, and her ancestor Arnold Li had been killed by a renegade Captain Autumn two hundred and fifty years ago. There was bad blood between the two and she didn't like the Autumn family. Hell, most Autumns didn't like their own family.

"Well sergeant we are fine. Is there any panic going on?" she asked calmly, not letting her emotions run through.

"No mam. Everything is tidy and squared away. Of course the folks are still stunned, but everyone's calming down."

That was good, Maria thought. No panicking meant that her team would have more time to decode what the hell was going on with the relay.

"Then can you please leave?" Maria asked pointing to the door. She started to shuffle back to her desk as the armored figure stood there. _Please leave._

Autumn turned, his massive weapon turning with him. It seemed to gloat, as if saying _I have more power. Beware of me!_ She shuddered. It was not time for a deviation into her uneasiness of Autumn.

"You could cut the tension with a knife," Alicia said as Autumn left. The leggy blonde then waggled an eyebrow at Maria, who raised her own in return.

"What are you doing?" she asked impatiently.

"Doesn't matter. Let's keep an eye out on the relay."

* * *

Captain Antonious Vakarian had never been the smartest of turian officers nor the bravest. He had fought in many actions against pirates and rebels. Was he special? No, he was just a dull officer. That was why he had been put on this patrol.

But he was _loyal_ to the Hierarchy and what it stood for. Order. Unity. _Survival._ He had been ordered by the _Primarch_ _himself_ to patrol Relay 314 with two ships from salarians and a vessel from the asari. Why? It wasn't his place to question it. It _was_ his place to follow orders. The Hierarchy had decided to send him out with them.

The nearest colony to Relay 314 was a small mining colony that housed a combination of turian and volus miners. The facility was by the volus as they knew finances better than the turians ever could, but it was guarded by the turian military. So it wasn't surprising to see that a volus ship had joined his little patrol as well.

Was he curious about why the three Council races and one associate species had ships out here, in the middle of nowhere? Of course he was! But he was the commander of his vessel and the three frigates that accompanied it. He had been bred to serve and not question orders from his commanders, just like how his enlisted and junior officers didn't question orders from _him._

"Captain, we're on a patrol route for Relay 314. Nothing seems out of the ordinary," his navigations officer reported.

"Good. Continue scanning and proceed for a full sweep of the region. It's a boring task I know, but you idle hands are some of the most destructive."

Vakarian sighed as he read through reports from the rebellion occurring on other side of turian space. Taetrus was the home to several turian separatist groups, including the Facinus group. Just last week, the separatists reprogrammed the FTL plotter of a starship and rammed the ship at near-FTL speeds into the heart of Vallum, the colony's capital city, killing tens of thousands of people. Among the dead had been Vakarian's younger brother.

He clinched his fist in anger. His own brother had been killed because of cowards who refused to be turian. To _fight_ like turians. Maybe that was why they decided to send him to the other side of the turian space. Because Vakarian might have _accidentally_ fired a slug into the badlands in order to flush out those bastards who killed his brother.

But it was not his directive to question his superiors. It was not his prerogative to do more than he had been asked. So _why_ choose him to conduct a patrol of a spirits forsaken part of the galaxy?

"Uh..sir..we have a problem," his navigations officer said hesitantly. Tearing himself from his reports he addressed the officer with a _what?_ What was the problem now? This wa supposed to be an easy patrol. That was what the Primarch told him and that was what his admiral told him. He had no reason not to believe them.

"Sir, unidentified vessel has established a connection with the relay! We're getting power fluctuations!" the officer said and Vakarian groaned. Why did _this_ had to happen to him? And why did it had to be _unidentified?_

The relay started to fluctuate as thousands of bits and particles reached out to something light years away and propelled them forward. Towards _him._ This was supposed to be a unactivated relay. Nothing and he meant _nothing_ wa supposed to come through that thing.

"Who in their right mind just activated a relay with four ships of the Hierarchy is watching? Not to mention the volus frigate, the two salarian frigates, and the asari cruiser? Who just flaunted Galactic Law?" he asked rhetorically. The officers and assembled enlisted sailors didn't have an answer for him as they worked frantically to address the situation.

"Sir...we just ran a scan on the vessel. It's...it's not running up a match on our databases," his first officer relayed to him. What did he mean by _no match?_ The Citadel Council had an extensive database on almost every single vessel ever constructed by their hands and even by the Terminus systems. The _Hardened Heart_ had been updated every time they returned to port with a new database.

There were several possibilities for this. First, this was one of the Terminus systems colonies that had escaped notice from turian and salarian intelligence. He ruled that out, considering they were on the border with turian space. No self-respecting pirate or rebel would ever try to establish a colony on the edges of turian space. Two, it was an asari corporation who wanted to escape the Council's regulations or fees or just hated the Asari Republics. By the spirits, it could have been a volus ship who just wanted to see if there were more economic possibilities. Whatever it was, it wouldn't go escaping turian justice.

"Does it have any weapons?" he asked and the officer shook his head.

"No sir, it seems to be an exploration vessel. There are no visible weapons on it, it seems to be light and not weigh much, meaning it has little to no armor. We've detected mass effect fields within the vessel, which means they have the same level technology of us. But it is not a military vessel sir."

"Hail them. Give them a chance to surrender. Otherwise we'll board them and take them before a military tribunal," he ordered. It was standard turian doctrine to board civilian vessels and exploration vessels. While many in the media may characterize turians as the "shoot first, ask questions later" variety, they weren't. They were professional, highly trained, and stuck to procedure.

The communications officer opened up a general communications channel directed at the ship right in front of them. He cleared his throat before speaking to the exploration vessel.

"Unidentified vessel, this is turian naval ship _Hardened Heart._ You are in violation of Galactic Law in accordance with the Citadel Conventions on dormant and inactive relays. Please power down your engines and lower your kinetic barriers and allow us to board your vessel for questioning. Please respond," he said. The channel broadcasted towards the ship but it didn't seem that they were receiving.

"Sir...nothing. Maybe they don't understand turian?" his communications officer offered and Vakarian grimaced. Was this a First Contact scenario? Was he, Captain Antonious Vakarian, about to be responsible for first contact with another species? Turian protocol was clear though. He had to board the ship and take the vessel's crew under arrest. It wasn't a decision he wanted to make but he had to.

"Get me Lieutenant Valen. His marines will board the ship and put them under arrest for violating the Conventions. Two platoons," he ordered and the communications officer was already on it. Soon a message was sent and the grizzled veteran was on his way to the CIC.

Vakarian felt some self-doubt pool in his stomach. He had to let it go. Protocol was clear. His duty to the Hierarchy was clear.

* * *

Lieutenant Adrien Valen had been an officer for less than a year with the 43rd Marines, but he had already been involved in several actions. He had been the one in charge of a boarding party of a batarian pirate vessel, an action that left half of his squad dead and he himself with burn scars and a nasty wound. It could have ended a lot worse though. While Palaven had commended his actions in private, he had discarded turian protocol when it came to the boarding action.

He had been publicly humiliated by Palaven and almost court-martialed. In order to "atone" for his sins, he had been transferred to the _Hardened Heart_ to command the company of Marines stationed on it. The 22nd Patrol Flotilla was commanded by Captain Antonius Vakarian, a military officer who breathed turian standard order procedures. He didn't hate the turian, but he disliked some of his practices. But the captain was okay when he was off-duty and the two had struck up a sort of strange friendship. Both had sons being raised on Palaven by their wives while both had brothers who had been killed in action by terrorists or separatists.

Vakarian's brother had been killed by the separatist attack on Taetrus while Adrien's brother had been captured by krogan mercenaries, the _Blood Pack,_ and tortured to death for intelligence. That was the official story, but Adrien knew that his brother had been stationed on a remote recon station out in the boondocks. Maybe he had been tortured to death for intelligence by the Blood Pack. He simply didn't know.

So he had summoned by the captain to appear in the CIC. For what reason, that blasted communications officer hadn't told him, but he was going to appear anyway. As he took the elevator up from his quarters to the CIC, _(the damn elevators were slower than the Citadel),_ he was soon on the bridge of the vessel.

"Sir," he greeted to Vakarian who was massaging his temple right now. _The stress might be getting to him._ He saluted Vakarian who returned it with a vigor he had not seen before.

"Lieutenant, please have a seat," Captain Vakarian said, offering him one. Valen took a seat in the CIC where he saw two other officers. Commander Lucus was the first officer of the _Hardened Heart_ and overall second command of the flotilla. Next to him was Lieutenant Commander Vicus, who was the Operations Officer for the flotilla. He helped plan out operations and the such so this fell underneath his jurisdiction.

"If you haven't guessed, we've run into a small problem. An unidentified vessel has activated Relay 314. And in violation of the Citadel Conventions. Which means we have to board them and secure the vessel, while taking the crew in for questioning. This is not your typical boarding action with pirates. Take care _not_ to kill everybody," Lucus started and Valen frowned. Nobody knows the real reason why all of those batarians had to die and he had been sworn to secrecy not to say.

"You are to lead a platoon. We've identified several ports of entry for you to board them," Vakarian started, though not before shooting his first officer a nasty glare.

Soon a holographic map of the region soon filled the CIC and it zoomed on the vessel that had violated the Conventions. When he saw the scan, he was surprised. It didn't look anything like a Citadel or Terminus ship. It looked like...a rocket. It was white, with red trimmings on the fins and nose. A single engine propelled it through space. It didn't have any weapons and there was very little armor plating, if any. If the captain had wanted to, he could have blasted the damn thing to death.

"So board them, take them prisoner, and then we'll interrogate them onboard the _Hardened Heart._ Any questions?" Vicus asked.

"No sir. Just let me get my turians ready and we'll be on our way."

* * *

The two shuttles departed out of the hangar bay of the cruiser, escorted by two A-61 Mantis gunships. The Mantis was the staple gunship for militaries all across the galaxy and it could operate in space due to its mass effect engines. The only thing it couldn't do was be a true fighter as it had no FTL drive. Valen saw his men, armored and helmeted. Their armor had been created by the Serrice Council, an asari corporation that was also responsible for manufacturing bio-amps and the armor used by turian Spectres. It was top of the line armor and Valen was glad he was wearing it.

Their Phaeston assault rifles were standard issued across all turian infantry units. Light, reliable, and accurate, they packed more of a bunch than most assault rifles their size. Each marine also had an omni-blade with their omni-tools, blades that could cut through kinetic barriers with frightening ease. Some of his marines carried Avalanche shotguns, manufactured by Armax Arsenal. Though they didn't have the stopping power of a krogan's Claymore shotgun, they were much lighter and much more useful in boarding actions.

Each marine also had a M-6 Carnifex heavy pistol manufactured by Armax Arsenal as well. They were tough and able to put down most creatures short of a charging krogan.

"Sir, why they send us?" a private asked quietly. A sergeant cuffed him in the back of the head for speaking out of line but Valen could only wonder why. _Why did they send us?_ There was something going on, Valen thought, but he just couldn't put his talon on it quite yet.

As the shuttles descended and started to prepare for docking with the vessel, he prepared himself. His men had all been briefed. _Take them into custody._ _Don't shoot unless shot upon._

"Preparing docking procedures," the shuttle's VI announced and soon klaxons were alarming as the shuttle attached itself to the ship. Air was decompressing.

It was time.


End file.
